SCOTTSDALE — It was surprisingly cold and windy when the 2018 Giants finally took the field as a group, but that did nothing to quell the enthusiasm. As 60 players stretched in right field at Scottsdale Stadium, Hunter Pence and a couple others started a slow clap. Within 20 seconds, the entire team had joined in for a scene that looked straight out of a high school football movie.
“There was a lot of energy today — there’s been a lot of energy and enthusiasm building since FanFest,” Pence said. “A couple of us were like, ‘It would be awesome to get a slow clap going.’ Boch had made a statement about everyone being committed, and everyone was committed to it.”
It remains to be seen if this team will be any good, but you can say this for the roster that took the field Monday morning: This is as fired-up as any group Bruce Bochy has had, with no hints of a hangover from a 98-loss season. The signs were everywhere. Brandon Crawford exchanged good-natured shots with Andrew McCutchen and Austin Jackson, two of the newcomers. Evan Longoria and Buster Posey had a long conversation after going through a base running drill. A healthy Brandon Belt smiled with teammates as he worked on his swing during pickoff drills. Gregor Blanco stood on the dugout steps and exchanged tips with new teammate Nick Hundley.
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Bochy missed most of that action. He spent his morning on the back field, taking a close look at the minor leaguers in camp. He has few concerns about the group of veterans that gathered on the main field, but that doesn’t mean the first speech of camp was all positive.
“We talked about some of the things we need to do, get better at, things to learn from,” he said. “We all took ownership in a tough year and we’re all going to take ownership in improving things.”
Part of Bochy’s message was that it’s time put last year in the rearview mirror, but that doesn’t mean the Giants are forgetting about what went wrong. There is an emphasis on doing the little things this spring, with baserunning being one aspect of the game that’s been mentioned often the first week. Coaches and players are also making it a point to improve the clubhouse culture.
Bochy was so fed up at some point last season that he banned players from using their cell phones in the final hour before first pitch, but Pence noted that the atmosphere changed in September. It was then that players started a roundtable — filled with drinks and snacks — after wins, and the mood was noticeably lighter.
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“You felt it brewing at the end of last year,” he said. “Everyone was getting on board.”
That has carried over, with McCutchen, Longoria, Jackson and Tony Watson adding extra juice.
“I feel like we’re at a really good state of being right now,” Pence said. “It’s a lot of fun just being here.”
--- The first hitting group consists of Pence, Posey, McCutchen and Longoria. That's 16 combined All-Star Game appearances.
--- Worth noting, possibly: Pablo Sandoval's first day of the spring was spent doing drills at first base, not third. He'll back up both positions.
--- As the Giants took the field, MLB released the new pace of play rules. They’re pretty mild. Here’s how the Giants will handle it, and what Cory Gearrin thinks of pitch clocks.
--- The Watson deal became official in the afternoon, which was funny because he went through fielding drills a few hours earlier. Anyway, here’s his reaction to the deal, and the roster move to clear a spot.
--- If you missed it last week, Buster Posey and Hunter Pence were the podcast guests. Another one is coming tomorrow, so subscribe here so it’s on your phone when you wake up.
--- I posted a lot of photos from the workout on my Instagram page. If you’re itching for videos of the newcomers, check out the Instagram story.
--- The quote of the day, from Pence, on having new hitting coaches: “It’s like looking at a chess board. Sometimes if you stand up or look at it from the side, you see a move that you didn’t see before.”